Prince George’s County board denies driveway and lot variances for Beltsville property

The Prince George’s County Board of Appeals on May 7 denied a request from Walter Enrique Castro Zavala for variances to validate existing conditions and to permit a rear-driveway extension at 4911 Wicomico Avenue in Beltsville.

The board’s decision follows testimony from county inspectors that the property owner began work before obtaining required permits and a complaint that gravel had been laid for a driveway. Inspector Harrison told the board he received a 311 complaint and observed gravel laid for a driveway during an inspection. “I see where they had laid down some gravel, for a driveway,” Harrison said during the hearing.

Board members heard that Castro requested variances for net lot area (10,309 square feet), lot width at the building line (9 feet) and net lot coverage (7.4 percent), and sought a 17-by-72-foot driveway extension to validate existing conditions and obtain a building permit. The petitioner, Walter Castro Zavala, described safety concerns on his dead-end street and said he sought the extension because street parking created unsafe conditions for vehicles using the roadway.

Board member Stanton noted that one of the required variance criteria is that the practical difficulty cannot be self-inflicted by the owner. After hearing staff testimony that the owner had begun work without permits, Stanton moved to deny the request. The motion to decline passed on a 2-0 roll call vote.

The board advised Castro to follow up with board staff for next steps; staff will prepare the board’s written order that will formalize the denial and explain any further administrative remedies.

Votes at a glance: Motion to deny (v21-25) — moved by Board member Stanton; second noted on the record; roll call vote 2-0 to deny.